Lola911 Posted March 6, 2013 #1 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Thanks to anyone who can enlighten us. I do u/s that there can be upcharges...just want to know what the fee is out of the gate so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgee Posted March 6, 2013 #2 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Thanks to anyone who can enlighten us. I do u/s that there can be upcharges...just want to know what the fee is out of the gate so to speak. I just completed an on board future cruise booking four days ago. Got my invoice e mailed from my TA today. It says air deviation fee is $150 per person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jancruz Posted March 6, 2013 #3 Share Posted March 6, 2013 $150 per person is correct Jancruz1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lola911 Posted March 6, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Someone on my Roll Call said that O was charging a fee for both ends of a deviation. Glad to hear it is still $150 although I remember when it was $75. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jancruz Posted March 6, 2013 #5 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Someone on my Roll Call said that O was charging a fee for both ends of a deviation. Glad to hear it is still $150 although I remember when it was $75. Yep,I remember too!! Jancruz1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitraveler Posted March 6, 2013 #6 Share Posted March 6, 2013 That's my bad. Since at "gold" status O gives 2 certificates for deviation, and that's per person, I thought they would be accessing a charge each way. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted March 6, 2013 #7 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Don't have to go far back to remember. Been moving up every year. At $300 per booking (per twosome - realistically it is the same admin work for 1 as it is for 2 and most cabins are booked by two who travel together) the price creep is noticeable. Unlike our previous O cruises the last two have been booked w/o deviation and upcoming is w/o the the included airfare. Ironically since folding in Regent's air dept with O's, the price has risen instead of a benefiting from economy of scale. I always thought that it must be a lot of work for O alone to manage the air contracts they purchase with fewer passengers & sailings but many gateways. Adding Regent & O together should have helped with that. I must have been wrong. When shopping for a vacation we simply add $300 to O's 'listed' price (and now that they have discontinued 'cruizemail' we may have to, very sadly, add some per minute internet time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgee Posted March 6, 2013 #8 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Don't have to go far back to remember. Been moving up every year. At $300 per booking (per twosome - realistically it is the same admin work for 1 as it is for 2 and most cabins are booked by two who travel together) the price creep is noticeable. Unlike our previous O cruises the last two have been booked w/o deviation and upcoming is w/o the the included airfare. Ironically since folding in Regent's air dept with O's, the price has risen instead of a benefiting from economy of scale. I always thought that it must be a lot of work for O alone to manage the air contracts they purchase with fewer passengers & sailings but many gateways. Adding Regent & O together should have helped with that. I must have been wrong. When shopping for a vacation we simply add $300 to O's 'listed' price (and now that they have discontinued 'cruizemail' we may have to, very sadly, add some per minute internet time) You make some excellent points about Oceania price creep. The whole air deviation fee concept is a pretty bone headed idea to begin with because it is charged unless passenger flys to embarkation city directly on day of cruise. For all of the obvious reasons (delayed flights, missed connections, lost luggage, jet lag) few experienced cruisers do this, especially for embarkation ports that are halfway around the world. Another example of Oceania price creep is the recategorization of a large number of staterooms to higher priced categories on the larger ships effective December of 2013. While a few staterooms will be moved to a lower category in what Oceania descrbes as a more sensible and fairer pricing scheme, far more cabins will see price increases. For example, most of the A4s will changed to A3s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted March 6, 2013 #9 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Don't have to go far back to remember. Been moving up every year. At $300 per booking (per twosome - realistically it is the same admin work for 1 as it is for 2 and most cabins are booked by two who travel together) the price creep is noticeable. Unlike our previous O cruises the last two have been booked w/o deviation and upcoming is w/o the the included airfare. Ironically since folding in Regent's air dept with O's, the price has risen instead of a benefiting from economy of scale. I always thought that it must be a lot of work for O alone to manage the air contracts they purchase with fewer passengers & sailings but many gateways. Adding Regent & O together should have helped with that. I must have been wrong. When shopping for a vacation we simply add $300 to O's 'listed' price (and now that they have discontinued 'cruizemail' we may have to, very sadly, add some per minute internet time) I agree, it's kind of ridiculous how much it's gone up. The phrase, "held hostage" comes to mind. I also think it's ridiculous for R and O to charge a deviation for people who want to fly in the day before the cruise, since this is so dead common it's just a plain money grab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2013 #10 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Just curious what cruise lines do not charge a deviation fee if you fly in earlier or stay later after the cruise when using the cruise air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted March 6, 2013 #11 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Just curious what cruise lines do not charge a deviation fee if you fly in earlier or stay later after the cruise when using the cruise air? I have no idea, haven't cruised on anything but Regent so far. It's just the flying in the day before I'm talking about--so many people do this, they must have special contracts with the airlines already--it would be so easy for them to allow this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted March 6, 2013 #12 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Just curious what cruise lines do not charge a deviation fee if you fly in earlier or stay later after the cruise when using the cruise air? Most cruise lines do NOT use the gimmick of "free" air. Most people on this board know that it is not free and that you can get a cruise without the free air. Other cruise lines have their own travel departments (like Choice Air) that specialize on low cost open jaw air fares that cruisers are likely to need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgee Posted March 6, 2013 #13 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Just curious what cruise lines do not charge a deviation fee if you fly in earlier or stay later after the cruise when using the cruise air? Direct answer to your question: Celebrity and RCCL do not. They have a "choice air" program where you can choose your "cruise air" flights through a special web site and fly in many days before or go home many days after a cruise...makes no difference. Fares are usually better than normal airline fares, especially for open jaw routes and are usually refundable up to final deposit date, but with a several hundred dollar penalty. To be totally fair, on a very few occasions Celebrity does run specials with "really" free air where you must allow the cruise line to pick your flights; not sure about any permitted deviations in that case. This is the case only with occasional specials...not the norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted March 6, 2013 #14 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Just curious what cruise lines do not charge a deviation fee if you fly in earlier or stay later after the cruise when using the cruise air? Azamara does not charge a deviation fee; just pay $25 per person like you would for any travel agent booking your tickets. I called them with the airline flights I wanted and was taken care of quickly and efficiently, all done in 10 minutes. Their gimmick is that once I did that, my cruisefare was reduced $1,000 for our cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jancruz Posted March 6, 2013 #15 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Don't have to go far back to remember. Been moving up every year. At $300 per booking (per twosome - realistically it is the same admin work for 1 as it is for 2 and most cabins are booked by two who travel together) the price creep is noticeable. Unlike our previous O cruises the last two have been booked w/o deviation and upcoming is w/o the the included airfare. Ironically since folding in Regent's air dept with O's, the price has risen instead of a benefiting from economy of scale. I always thought that it must be a lot of work for O alone to manage the air contracts they purchase with fewer passengers & sailings but many gateways. Adding Regent & O together should have helped with that. I must have been wrong. When shopping for a vacation we simply add $300 to O's 'listed' price (and now that they have discontinued 'cruizemail' we may have to, very sadly, add some per minute internet time) Some new specials started yesterday with free internet for the whole cruise..take a look at them they are a great deal with many other amenities included.. Jancruz1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgee Posted March 6, 2013 #16 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Some new specials started yesterday with free internet for the whole cruise..take a look at them they are a great deal with many other amenities included..Jancruz1 Unfortunately the specials you refer to apparently only apply to ten specific upcoming (European) cruises, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2013 #17 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Azamara does not charge a deviation fee; just pay $25 per person like you would for any travel agent booking your tickets. I called them with the airline flights I wanted and was taken care of quickly and efficiently, all done in 10 minutes. Their gimmick is that once I did that, my cruisefare was reduced $1,000 for our cabin. WOW if you do not use their air you pay more for the cruise :eek: some how that does not sound good I usually book my own air if not using Oceania air with/deviation do not pay a TA a fee Gimmicks come in all shapes & sizes I guess ;) Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted March 6, 2013 #18 Share Posted March 6, 2013 But if any one of those 10 fit my plans it could be just the deal ... Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2013 #19 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Most cruise lines do NOT use the gimmick of "free" air. Most people on this board know that it is not free and that you can get a cruise without the free air. Yes I agree they should use a different terminology for their marketing to avoid confusion for people new to cruising or Oceania "Included airfare" with a notation can be excluded if you want for a small credit Most cruise lines do have some sort of Gimmick to attract passengers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2013 #20 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Direct answer to your question: Celebrity and RCCL do not. They have a "choice air" program where you can choose your "cruise air" flights through a special web site and fly in many days before or go home many days after a cruise...makes no difference. Fares are usually better than normal airline fares, especially for open jaw routes and are usually refundable up to final deposit date, but with a several hundred dollar penalty. I looked at a couple of OJ routings & found Air Canada to be cheaper than the choice air offered for the same flights You still need to shop around just like when booking with Oceania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2013 #21 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Unfortunately the specials you refer to apparently only apply to ten specific upcoming (European) cruises, Probably why they are SPECIAL Promotions ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelerThom Posted March 7, 2013 #22 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Yes I agree they should use a different terminology for their marketing to avoid confusion for people new to cruising or Oceania..."avoid confusion"?:confused: My impression is that Oceania's entire marketing scheme is based on deception. If Oceania has every sold a cruise that was not 2 for 1, it would be news to me. "Free Air" - give me a break. I have friends who love Oceania, but I usually throw their (and Viking River cruise) brochures in the trash because their fake 2 to 1 marketing schemes irritate me so much. Oceania offers a quality product which would stand nicely on its own - why do they have to cheapen it by basically lying about their pricing. Thom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted March 7, 2013 #23 Share Posted March 7, 2013 You make some excellent points about Oceania price creep. The whole air deviation fee concept is a pretty bone headed idea to begin with because it is charged unless passenger flys to embarkation city directly on day of cruise. For all of the obvious reasons (delayed flights, missed connections, lost luggage, jet lag) few experienced cruisers do this, especially for embarkation ports that are halfway around the world. Another example of Oceania price creep is the recategorization of a large number of staterooms to higher priced categories on the larger ships effective December of 2013. While a few staterooms will be moved to a lower category in what Oceania descrbes as a more sensible and fairer pricing scheme, far more cabins will see price increases. For example, most of the A4s will changed to A3s. I think the concept missed here is that it is a business and not a non-profit or charity. Cost for everything go up every year... They are entitled to make as much as they can.:rolleyes: Too, it is in our best interest to allow the company to profit and prosper so that it will be around in the future for our enjoyment. Also, the Air Devation is not the end of the charges you will incur by requesting a devation. The $150pp is to administer plus the new air route/service /schedule/carrier will in most cases charge many hundreds of dollars more for the " devation" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgee Posted March 7, 2013 #24 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I think the concept missed here is that it is a business and not a non-profit or charity. Cost for everything go up every year... They are entitled to make as much as they can.:rolleyes: Too, it is in our best interest to allow the company to profit and prosper so that it will be around in the future for our enjoyment. Also, the Air Devation is not the end of the charges you will incur by requesting a devation. The $150pp is to administer plus the new air route/service /schedule/carrier will in most cases charge many hundreds of dollars more for the " devation" Hawaiidan, you raise some fair points. I realize that Oceania is at the very top of the non all inclusive product category and I want them to stay that way...we drink very little alchohol, so all inclusive cruising is not the way we want to go. Under that principle I am fine with 18% service charges on beverages...some basic cocktails in the 10-11 dollar range, spa services higher than the best Las Vegas resorts, and higher prices for the same shore excursions as Celebrity or Princess offers. With that you get a very superior product on Oceania, especially in the area of food service and personal space. I am concerned that they are testing reasonable price points in some of these areas, even if it is used to help finance a superior product. The air deviation issue is another story because the premise of the charge structure is based on encouraging customers to do the irresponsible thing...fly in the same day as the cruise embarks. I do have a problem with that. I still love the product, just my view on that aspect of their charge structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 7, 2013 #25 Share Posted March 7, 2013 The air deviation issue is another story because the premise of the charge structure is based on encouraging customers to do the irresponsible thing...fly in the same day as the cruise embarks. There really isn't an easy answer to this, because just as many people would be outraged if Oceania gave preference to flying in early. The austerity brigade would be particularly vocal, and I don't even want to think about the accusations of "Hotel Shilling". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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